On the occasion of the 2013 Paris Air Show from 17 to 23 June, Altran and Microsoft Corporation will highlight their strategic partnership in IT and Business Intelligence with a first innovation in the domain of Aircraft connectivity. Altran, Microsoft and Flight Focus will present "NavigaSuite", the first suite of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications designed by Altran and integrated by Flight Focus on the Windows 8 platform.

Repositioned as an open platform provider with total independence regarding EFB application providers, the company Flight Focus, which recently installed and certified their Cabin Inflight WiFi platform for Inflight Entertainment & Connectivity on Air China's A330s, demonstrates a fully Integrated Tablet Management solution with this prototype. By integrating the "NavigaSuite", the Flight Focus open avionics platform offers a seamlessly integrated, customised and secure connected flight deck solution that optimizes flight operations and simplifies pilot mission.

Everything the pilot needs is integrated in a seamless environment: pre-flight check in, workflow for missions, manuals and charts, as well as the possibility of selecting the data sets they require in a clipboard, and sending messages to flight operations, all in a seamless environment. The Mail App is automatically installed in Windows 8 and used as the official messaging tool for pilots and flight operations.

"Built on the Windows 8 platform, the Connected EFB for the Airline industry is a mission-critical, enterprise-class solution designed to manage pre-flight, flight and file operations for the cockpit. The new prototype allows pilots to perform their tasks in a simple yet immersive way, while providing the high level of security required by the flight deck," said Jean-Philippe Courtois, the President of Microsoft International.

"For this project, Microsoft and Altran have pooled their expertise to deliver the architecture, specifications,development and tests for the 'NavigaSuite'.We collaborated with Flight Focus to enable Windows 8 connectivity and support aircraft interfacing (drivers and security). Altran can fast-track any software application development with its Altran Mobile Factory, design tailored,connected apps and solutions for airlines and operators, and is the best-equipped partner for a custom-made, connected EFB project leveraging Flight Focus technology," said Sebastien Renouard, Altran's Executive Director - Aerospace, Defence and Railways.